They came from the stars

Chapter three

  For two days the girl laid in bed, unable to speak and barely responsive to the food and water we forced down her throat. Her tongue was swollen and blisters lined her feet. The blood however, was not hers.
   "She's seen something. Something really bad" said Trent as we stood outside the bedroom door.
  Ever since we had taken her in the old Trent had returned. It was like seeing her had brought him back from the very dark place he was in, maybe so he could bring her out of hers. For the last two days he had sat by her bed, dabbing her head with cool water and feeding her mushed peas.
   "Where did all that blood come from? Do you think she killed someone?" I asked.
   If she had, I guessed she had good reason. She couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen.
  Even after she woke up it took two more days for her to finally come out of the room. She joined us at the dinner table and though she didn't say anything, we knew she was coming back to life.
  Another week passed. The aliens had yet to show themselves, which was fine with us. We trained harder every day to get our bodies in shape. Word from the radio was that the army was pushing back and that they were making a stand in Ohio.
  "My name is Cassie" said the girl as I was flipping through the radio stations.
   I looked up and cast a glance at Trent who looked equally surprised.
  "Cassie huh? Where you from Cass?" I asked.
  For a moment she was lost in her own world again, reliving some horror she had seen. When she snapped to again it had been nearly an hour.
  "Indiana" she finally said. "I was on vacation with my family. We were in Gatlinburg when they hit."
  Even though she was sitting on the couch next to me in person, her mind was far away.
  "There were so many people running and screaming. My mom, she couldn't hold onto my dad and she disappeared in the crowd. My dad, he just kept calling for her while everyone was pushing us forward."
  She shook her head.
"He didn't want to leave her, but he wanted to keep me safe. So we ran until we were both out of breath. We took shelter in a cabin for a few days. It seemed like we had lost them, but they eventually found us. They always find you."
  The words rang like an ominous warning in my head. We had to be ready for when those bastards came.
   "They use us like slaves* she continued. "They put collars on us and the collar injects this stuff into you. It makes you do whatever they say. I watched them order a man to kill his wife, just to prove a point. They had been married twenty-five years and he just snapped her neck like she was nothing to him."
  Cassie buried her face in her hands and started to cry. We didn't ask to know anymore. Trent took her hand and led her upstairs and back to bed. He had taken on an almost fatherly role for her and I could see it in his eyes, he would do anything to protect her. I guessed it was what was keeping him in the here and now. It was probably the only thing keeping him sane.
    There was more to Cassie's story than we knew, but neither of us pried. It might take years for her to open up. The things she had seen were probably unimaginable, and neither of wanted her to relive those memories.
  
Four days later

   I sat in the passenger seat while Trent drove. Cassie had volunteered to come with us and I had shown her how to use the lever action rifle. She clutched the weapon tightly as we rounded another corner.
   "We haven't cleared these houses yet" said Trent as he slowed and we eyed a couple of red brick style farmhouses.
   "We should be in and out in ten for each of them" I said to Cassie.
  We pulled into the gravel driveway of the first farmhouse and all three of us jumped out. I cleared the yard while Trent kicked in the front door. He was already deep inside the house when I stepped inside.
  The smell of death hung in the air and clung to everything. I tried not to breathe, though it was difficult. Every time I was forced to take a breath I sucked in another lungful of rotten air.
   "Looks like they didn't do this themselves" said Trent from the other room.
  I stepped into the kitchen and felt my stomach churn. Jeez, the place was a wreck and the old couple laying on the floor were well into late decay. I turned and vomited.
  Not once in my life had I ever seen a dead body. I hadn't even seen one at a funeral. Yet here, on the floor, were two people now dead. Bullet holes stitched their backs and blood covered every surface in the kitchen. Someone had raided this house with these people still inside, and had killed them. I bent to pick up a shell casing on the floor and frowned. It wasn't aliens either.
  "We should get this done quick" said Trent as he walked past me and back outside.
  I followed him and sucked in precious breaths of fresh air as I came outside.
  "What did you guys find?" Asked Cassie.
"Nothing" said Trent.
   "Bullshit" retorted Cassie. "What's in there?"
  "You want to know? Why don't you go in there and find out!" He snapped at her.
  Cassie stared blankly at him for a moment, then turned and headed away toward one of the out buildings.
"I'll clear those" she said as she walked away.
  I watched her walking for a moment, then turned back to Trent and slammed him against the side of the car.
"What the hell was that? What the hell is wrong with you?" I barked angrily.
  He turned pale and looked away for a moment. The rage in his eyes gave away to something else.
  "I.. I just can't stand the thought that someone is out there killing people when we already have the odds stacked against us. What if that was you, or Cassie?"
   "So you have to act like an ass?" I growled.
"I'm sorry" he said,his eyes drifting downward.
   I out my hand behind his head and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. For a while we just stood there, kissing. When I finally pulled away his eyes met with mine and he forced a half smile.
   "You're bottling things up and you're going to explode if you don't talk to me, okay?" I said.
  He nodded.
"We're going to talk tonight."
   "But.." he started to protest.
"No buts" I said as I pressed my finger to his lips.
  He gave a tight nod and grabbed his shotgun.
  "Hey guys, look what I found!" Said Cassie as she walked back toward us.
   The golden retriever waddled beside her with a tennis ball in its mouth. It looked way to thin and its fur was muddy and tangled.
   "She's pretty cute, huh?"